


The Doctor, the Reporter, and the TARDIS

by WrathoftheStag (Mwuahna)



Category: Doctor Who, Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Doctor Hannibal, Freddie and Hannibal in the TARDIS, Freddie is the Ultimate Companion, Gen, Hannibal AU, Hannibal Doctor Who Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7749952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mwuahna/pseuds/WrathoftheStag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The wheezing groaning noise that filled the entire room was what had startled Doctor Hannibal Lecter awake.  A vroom-vroom-vroom unlike anything he’d ever heard before. He rose slowly, as his head pounded viciously, feeling as though he had drank way too much.  Disoriented, Hannibal sat up and tried to figure out exactly where he was.  Was this the work of Verger goons?  Had Will Graham put some sort of hallucinogenic in his drink?  Or had he just finally lost his grip on reality?</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hannibal Lecter and Freddie Lounds in the TARDIS.  The ultimate Doctor and Companion.  Fantastic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Doctor, the Reporter, and the TARDIS

**Author's Note:**

>   
>    
> 
> 
>   
> **“The few mathematicians who could follow him might say his equations begin brilliantly and then decline, doomed by wishful thinking: Dr. Lecter wants time to reverse – no longer should increasing entropy mark the direction of time.”** \- _Hannibal_ , Thomas Harris, p. 490 

The wheezing groaning noise that filled the entire room was what had startled Doctor Hannibal Lecter awake. A _vroom-vroom-vroom_ unlike anything he’d ever heard before. He rose slowly, as his head pounded viciously, feeling as though he had drank way too much. 

Disoriented, Hannibal sat up and tried to figure out exactly where he was. Was this the work of Verger goons? Had Will Graham put some sort of hallucinogenic in his drink? Or had he just finally lost his grip on reality?

The last thing he remembered was sitting in Will’s living room. Hannibal had carried him out of Muskrat Farms, and returned him to the relative safety of his tiny home in Wolf Trap, Virginia. And now he sat quietly watching Will sleep, working in his Moleskine on various quantum field theory equations, in an effort to turn back time -- to erase months of hurt and pain between Will and himself; to have a new beginning...the two of them together, a tabula rasa of sorts.

Hannibal looked around. He was in coral and turquoise room that was open and spacious, surrounded by hexagonal white lights. In the middle of the room was some sort of console with a variety levers and switches. The entire place was supported by six pillars also arranged in a hexagonal pattern.

He approached the console in the center of the room, slowly laid his hands on it, and it immediately began to glow and pulse. Rather than be frightened, Hannibal felt somewhat at ease but still pulled his hands away.

A far off voice suddenly called, “Hey! Anyone there?”

Hannibal ran toward the sound, “Yes? Hello?”

“Keep talking, I’ll follow your voice!”

It the voice of a woman, and it sounded somewhat familiar. 

“You still there? Hey, you?”

“Yes, yes. Keep walking toward me.”

The sound of the footsteps approaching grew louder, as Freddie Lounds -- of all people -- walked into the room.

“Hannibal?” She said looking utterly perplexed, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Ms. Lounds, I assure you, your guess is as good as mine.”

Freddie stood back cautiously, then surveyed the room. 

“Well, one minute I was walking to Starbucks, I blacked out, and then found myself here,” she said. “Did you roofie me, you sicko?”

Hannibal replied, “I was in Wolf Trap in Will’s home, and then _I_ was here.”

Freddie threw up her arms in an aggressive WTF gesture. 

“What is this place?” She slowly approached the console as she felt it calling to her, and gingerly planted her hand on it. It glowed gently and pulsated.

“Whoa…”

“Yes?” Hannibal asked getting closer.

Freddie ignored Hannibal as her eyes grew wide.

“Ms. Lounds?”

She held up a finger and softly said, “Shh…”

Hannibal paused as he watched Freddie close her eyes. 

“Well, what is it?” he asked exasperatedly.

Freddie nodded, “Okay, here’s the deal Lecter. We are inside this…spaceship. And it is called the TARDIS. And apparently, Doc, _you_ in all your infinite wisdom,” she air quoted wisdom, “and subatomic physics, beckoned good ol’ Tardi here to come pick up your ass.”

“I did? How? I don’t…understand.”

Freddie, looking completely put out, grabbed Hannibal by the hand and led him to the TARDIS console. She deposited his hands, palms down, on the TARDIS which then began to glow and pulsate once again.

Immediately, Hannibal saw himself sitting in Will’s home writing equation after equation, as Will slept. Hannibal slowly closed his eyes as the inner vision continued.

_“I must change this…must change what I’ve done. What we’ve done. Take me back…take me back.”_

The TARDIS replied within Hannibal’s mind, _Doctor, I’ve brought you here so you can go back to whatever time you wish._

Hannibal opened his eyes and stepped away, “My god.”

“I know, right? So apparently, Tardi here picked me because I can handle your ass and keep you in check. Sweet, huh?” She said leaning against the console, elbows bent, face on hands.

**+++**

Hannibal and Freddie needed some time to get their bearings, and the TARDIS --- ever the lovely hostess -- provided them each with a glass of wine. They sat on the floor, leaning against the exposed coral wall.

“Listen, so I have no idea how long we’re stuck here,” Freddie said. “But we should set up some ground rules.”

“Agreed,” Hannibal replied taking a long sip of his Shiraz.

“Look, let’s not be coy here. I’m all you’ve got, you’re all I got, so let’s just agree not to be shitty to one another.”

Hannibal extended his hand and said, “Agreed, yet again.”

Freddie took his hand and said, “Alright, you shook on it. That means you can’t kill me, you weirdo.”

Hannibal's body stiffened slightly, “Agreed for the third time.”

“Great! What say you and I explore this ship?”

The TARDIS concurred and opened a door leading out of the control room.

“Thanks, Tardi,” Freddie said as she stood and walked over to stroke the console.

Hannibal followed as they entered a long corridor which had several doors. Hannibal opened the first one and found himself in a gorgeous modern kitchen. Every possible appliance he could ever want was to be had. He walked in with glee.

Freddie opened another door and saw a swimming pool of all things. She smiled and ran to try the other doors.

Reaching a pink door that was decorated with a mural of flowers, she turned the knob and nothing happened. Freddie tried again. She ran her fingertips over the door, and felt an instant melancholy wash over her. She frowned and began to walk away, when she found Hannibal standing behind her.

“Jesus, Hannibal! Don’t sneak up on me like that, you jag.”

“Apologies, Ms. Lounds. What is that room?” he asked pointing toward the pink door.

“I don't know. Every other door I’ve tried opened, but not this one. Maybe it’s a garden?”

“Or the inhabitant of this room was named Rose,” Hannibal said eyes sweeping over the word painted on the door.

“Whatever it is, it makes me feel sad,” she shivered. “Not an emotion I am familiar or comfortable with.”

She grabbed Hannibal’s hand, “Come on. Let’s keep going,” as she pulled him down the hallway. Hannibal stared at his hand, engulfed by hers.

“Oh, don’t get weird okay?” she hissed as they continued down the corridor.

The next room they entered was a library filled wall to ceiling with books. In it was a blue couch, coffee table, and large desk.

Hannibal walked around the room and looked at some of the titles on the book spines, only they were not words. Well, none that he could read. The titles were some circular symbols and glyphs that he couldn’t make heads or tails of. Hannibal took a book out looking at the cover, and to his amazement, the symbols began to morph into words written in English.

“The History of the Time Lords,” Hannibal read out loud and began leafing through the pages.

“I wonder who, or what, the hell Rassilon is?” Freddie asked as she held up a book titled _Rassilon, Omega and the Other_. She shrugged and put the book back on the shelf and walked over to the desk. On it sat several photographs, and what appeared to be a handwritten journal. 

She looked through the pictures; most of them were of a young blonde woman with a bright smile. The woman held hands with a tall, stoic looking man with shorn hair and intense blue eyes. Other photos showed her with a lanky man with wild hair. He wore a red Christmas cracker crown in one of the photographs. Clearly he was smitten with the woman, as his eyes hid nothing. Freddie took the journal, walked over to the couch, sat and began to look through it. 

Hannibal, along with his copy of _History of the Time Lords_ joined Freddie on the couch. And there they remained for quite some time taking in the lives of a perfect stranger, and a complete history of a race they had never or will ever meet.

Hours laters they emerged from the library ravenous, and so Hannibal led them to the kitchen. The TARDIS had been kind enough to stock the kitchen with food and some dry goods. Freddie opened the refrigerator and was tickled to find tofu in there. “Look!” she said to Hannibal holding up the package. “Thanks, Tardi.”

Hannibal took the tofu from Freddie and examined the rest of the contents in the fridge. 

“Well, then,” he said as rolled up his shirt sleeves, “I suppose I shall make us some dinner.” 

**+++**

“From what I read," Hannibal said in between bites of spicy garlic tofu, "this ship belonged to a race of people from the planet of Gallifrey. Among those people were a select group who called themselves Time Lords.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound pretentious _at all_ ,” Freddie scoffed. 

Hannibal continued, “They had the ability to travel through space and time.”

“I hear the words coming out of your mouth, and _you_ hear the words – but this is still crazy. You know that, right?” Freddie said as she took a bite of her dinner.

“Quite right, too,” Hannibal responded and swirled his wine. “But here we are, and how could you and I be imagining or hallucinating the same thing? It is impossible.”

“Unless only one of us is actually hallucinating, and the other one of us isn’t even here – just part of the hallucination,” Freddie said. 

“That is also a possibility,” Hannibal said contemplating what to do next. “TARDIS? Can you prove this is real? Show us something only we would be privy to.”

The lights flickered once and then an image projected overhead above their table. It was Freddie as a young girl, about 15 or 16, working in a classroom. She retrieved some papers from a printer and walked over to a man who appeared to be her teacher.

_“Mr. Carmichael, I finished that article on the unionization of the school janitors.”_

_Mr. Carmichael held out his hand and didn’t bother looking up. “Freddie, I told you there was no need. You were supposed to cover the cheerleading tryouts.”_

_“But this is important,” she said._

_The older man sighed and replied, “I’ll look at it, but I can’t guarantee I’ll put it in the paper. And really, you should just stick to what you know – like cheerleading or covering the prom or whatever. This is way over your head, sweetheart.”_

_Freddie stared at her teacher, and then marched right up to the principal’s office with the tape recorder she had secretly running in hand._

Hannibal smirked, “Well done, Ms. Lounds.” 

“Jesus, I haven’t thought about that in years,” Freddie said with a faint smile, then began to gesticulate wildly as another scene began to glow above them, “Ooo! Up next: Hannibal’s Greatest Hits.”

_A sun-dappled forest in Lithuania is shown, and running among the trees is a young Hannibal and an even younger Mischa. She runs ahead and picks up a small branch from the ground, calling out, “Hannibal! Catch this,” and she flings it toward him._

_Hannibal laughs and jumps toward the branch, catching it in one hand. He then proceeds to chase Mischa waving it at her. Hannibal reaches his sister and the two tumble onto the ground in a fit of giggles. “I hope I can always make you laugh like this, little Mischa,” Hannibal said as he wrapped his arm around her._

Hannibal stared silently and then finished his wine in one gulp. Freddie looked away uncomfortably then said, “Well, that was depressing as hell.” Hannibal raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly, pouring himself some more wine. 

Freddie continued, “Okay, so this appears to be real and happening. So...hi, we’re not crazy –- well, for the most part. Tardi brought us here for a reason. Now what?”

“I suppose we can go anywhere we’d like. Change things for the better? Isn’t that what I was hoping for? Why I was brought here?”

Freddie looked at Hannibal with skepticism and huffed. She then yawned unexpectedly and added, “Well, we can’t figure this all out if we’re both exhausted.”

Hannibal raised his glass in accordance, face tired and weary. Hannibal then furrowed his brow and said, “I’m not so sure I care for her approach but I appreciate the gesture. The TARDIS just _showed_ me where two bedrooms can be found.”

“I wonder what time it is?” Freddie asked as she took her dish and Hannibal’s, and placed them in the sink.

“I think that question is now irrelevant,” Hannibal replied as got out of his chair and stretched.

They exited the kitchen and walked down the corridor. Freddie asked, “Are people wondering what happened to us? Do you think we’re labeled as missing back home? Is anyone worried?”

Hannibal pointed to a door and said, “Here. This one is for you.” He then added quietly, “Who would miss _us_?”

Freddie slapped him on the arm, “God, you’re cheerful! And you wonder why you’re still single.”

Hannibal actually smiled and said, “Goodnight, Ms. Lounds.”

“Night, Hanners,” she said and entered her room.

**+++**

Freddie looked around her bedroom, and was amazed at how it was decorated exactly the way she would have chosen it, had she done it herself. 

“Tardi, you peeping tom. You totally took a gander in my head for this didn’t you?” 

She felt a faint pulse of agreement as she plopped herself onto the large bed. She then asked the TARDIS, “Ugh, what Gothy mausoleum did you have to create for that one over there?” 

Opening the journal she took from the library, Freddie muttered to herself, “Goddamn Morticia Addams…”

+

Hannibal walked around admiring his tastefully decorated bedroom. It hit all the Lecter checkmarks: dark colors, lush bedding, just enough horns and skulls to make it interesting. The hooves as legs on the armchair? Perfection. The TARDIS had excellent taste, indeed.

He undressed and placed his suit on a chair in the corner of the room. Hannibal then climbed into the bed, immediately feeling overwhelmed and fatigued. Pulling the covers over his head, he curled himself up into a ball where he lay under the warm darkness contemplating the entire day. 

What was happening back at home? Had Will woken up? Was he wondering if Hannibal had abandoned him? Did Will even think about him? Will had traveled to Florence to find him, and said he had forgiven him. That meant everything -- or did it? Hannibal rolled his feet gently in a swirling pattern, the repetition brought him some comfort. He felt his shoulders ease and gently fall, but then his thoughts went from Will to Mischa. Mischa. Hannibal drifted to sleep with her laughter in his dreams.

The next morning, Hannibal woke up feeling something akin to hope. Was it hope? He sprang out of bed, and walked over to the wardrobe hoping he would find something to wear. Absentmindedly, he took the wide-brimmed suede hat that hung from a hook inside, and placed it on his head as he rummaged through the clothing. 

In the wardrobe was a tan pinstripe suit, a black leather U‑Boat officer jacket, the longest scarf he had ever seen, something that appeared to be a men’s regency overcoat, and good lord -- a riotous multi-colored suit that was clearly a circus clown’s ensemble. Shuddering, he shoved it back into the wardrobe.

He pulled out a blazer, some tweed pants, a striped shirt and then on impulse selected a bowtie and pair of suspenders. Admiring himself in the mirror, he put his hands in the blazer pockets and felt a long, hard object inside of it. Immediately he withdrew his hands, a slight moue on his face.

He reached in once again and pulled out the rod-like item, and realized that it some sort of electronic tool with a green crystal on the end which glowed. Hannibal aimed it away from his body and pressed one of the buttons on the side. From it sprung some extendible claws, as it emitted a high pitched tone. _Interesting._ Hannibal then put it in his front pocket, even though it spoiled the line of his jacket.

“Well, TARDIS, what do you think? Do you approve?” Hannibal said as he looked in the mirror once more, examining the end results. He then head to the kitchen.

**+++**

Freddie was already there, enjoying a second cup of coffee when Hannibal walked in. “Look at you! You ventured out of your vampire grandpa look. Well done!”

He nodded slightly, somewhat embarrassed, “Thank you? I am not quite sure that was completely a compliment, Ms. Lounds.” 

“With me, you take what you can get,” she said pointing toward the coffee on the counter. Hannibal poured himself a cup and sat down next to her. 

“Oh, you found a space vibrator!” Freddie exclaimed as she pointed toward Hannibal’s front blazer pocket. Hannibal looked at Freddie with disapproval on his face.

“Relax, Doctor. It’s actually called a Sonic Screwdriver but I think it had _other_ uses as well,” she said with a wink.

Choosing to ignore the last part of Freddie’s sentence, Hannibal pulled it out of his pocket and said, “Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'This could be a little more sonic'?"

Freddie laughed, “Well apparently it was the Doctor’s -- or should I say Doctors’ -- tool of choice. It can open locks, detonate shit, fry circuitry. It’s like a space Swiss Army knife.”

“Doctors, as in more than one?”

“Mmm...yes, I read all about this journal. It belongs to that dude-slash-dudes. Hold on, I have to try something. Tardi? Earl grey. Hot.” she said toward the ceiling. Nothing happened. She shrugged, “It was worth a shot.”

Hannibal stared at her.

“What? You don’t know Captain Picard? Star Trek? TNG?”

Hannibal stared at her some more.

Freddie rolled her eyes, “Anyway, Tardi’s owner (who totally stole her, by the by) was this guy who called himself The Doctor. He was one of those Time Lord dudes, but he was somewhat of an outcast, a misfit. Brilliant, but misunderstood.”

“A burden to bear, to be sure,” Hannibal said and then took another sip of his coffee.

Freddie rolled her eyes once more, “You’re going to give me an eye sprain. So, the Doctor -- and all of the Time Lords -- had the ability to regenerate into another body as a way to cheat death. The Doctor was on body number ten or something.” She flipped through the pages of the journal, and showed Hannibal a page which had drawings of the faces of ten men.

“See? That’s him and all his incarnations.”

Hannibal gingerly took the journal from Freddie and flipped through the pages.

“This thing reads like a goddamn romance sci-fi novel,” she continued. “He changes bodies, had various ‘companions’ -- a lot of smart sassy redheads, by the way -- and basically travels around space and time saving everyone.”

“Remarkable,” Hannibal said as he stopped at a drawing of a woman.

“That’s Rose, I think,” Freddie said. “Her room was at that one door we couldn’t open.”

“Who is she?” Hannibal asked.

“Oh, that’s the Doctor’s Will. Dude had it bad, and then they were separated before he could tell her he loved her.”

Hannibal glared at Freddie, “His _Will_?”

Freddie winked and continued, “Yeah, you know? His Will Graham. All that power, all of time and space before him, and he chooses to spend it moony eyed over someone. Sound familiar?”

Hannibal huffed and continued looking through the pages, “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. The best sleep I’ve ever had, in fact. Something about being here just feels so _right_. And you?”

Hannibal closed the journal and said, “I slept well. Dreamt quite a bit.” 

Freddie examined Hannibal’s face for a moment. “Okay, last night you said we can go anywhere we’d like and that we could change things for the better? And I was thinking, you are right. I know, shocking isn’t it? So what I’m saying is this... I, for one, am not going to let you waste this opportunity to go back in time for your twitchy fuckboy,” Freddie said bluntly.

“Pardon me, Ms. Lounds?” Hannibal said with actual shock on his face.

“Yeah, you heard me,” she jumped out of her seat, walked over to Hannibal and leaned over so they were practically eye-to-eye. “Look, I get it, you love what’s-his-face. He’s your Rose. But he’s still alive. You can still go to him and fix whatever jacked up relationship you two have -- I’m sure of it. But think about this, right now we have the opportunity to do so much more. Tardi is giving us, and hell, _humanity_ this opportunity.”

Hannibal looked at Freddie with incredulity, “What are you suggesting, Ms. Lounds?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but...let’s go do some good. Something that really matters.”

Hannibal got up from his seat, “While I appreciate the sentiment, I don’t think it would be wise to meddle in historic affairs. The repercussions could be irreparable. From what I read of the Time Lords history, it didn’t work out too well for them. And what of the owner of this ship, The Doctor? What happened to him?”

“Oh, come on! Think about what we could accomplish. With my brains and good looks, and your… _things_ …we could really fix the world.”

“It is an intriguing thought,” Hannibal said looking back at her. How could he not find it intriguing? Ask a narcissist to be the solution to the plights of the world, and how could they possibly dismiss the idea?

Freddie laughed, “Who’d a thunk a couple of psychopaths would want to help out humanity?”

Hannibal paced the kitchen as he took it all in; he knew Freddie was right. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. Why they could cure a number of maladies, stop the creation of polyester, end world hunger...and, Mischa. Hannibal paused and said softly to himself, “Yes, always Mischa.”

Hannibal then made up his mind. He looked at Freddie and said with a huge smile, “Let’s do it.” He then his adjusted his bowtie and said, “Ms. Lounds, where to first?” 

“Well, Doctor,” Freddie thought about for a moment, then jumped up and down, recomposed herself and said in all seriousness, “Let’s eat Hitler!”

Hannibal smiled and nodded as he climbed onto the jump seat, pulled the main lever, then yelled out, “Fantastic!”

The TARDIS pulsated in agreement, wheezing and groaning during take off, thrilled as she began an adventure, one she had not had in awhile; an adventure filled with laughter and hope. An adventure for the ages, across space and time -- all with the sassy redheaded reporter and the Doctor.

**Author's Note:**

> This whole fic was inspired by that Photoshopping I did, which was inspired by that damn picture of Mads with the bow tie. The Ninth Doctor is my jam, but I incorporated elements from Ten, Eleven and Twelve in this as well as nods to previous Doctors. And poor besotted Hanni, in Digestivo, writing out his equations just lent himself perfectly for this.
> 
> Come say hi and visit me [on Tumblr](http://wrathofthestag.tumblr.com/).


End file.
